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Humility is one of the greatest blessings that Allaah can bestow upon His slave. He says (interpretation of the meaning):

“And by the Mercy of Allaah, you dealt with them gently. And had you been severe and harsh-hearted, they would have broken away from about you”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:159]

“And verily, you (O Muhammad) are on an exalted (standard of) character”

[al-Qalam 68:4]

This refers to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) being a true slave of Allah in many ways and his treating all people with the utmost kindness. His character was one of complete humility based on sincerity towards Allah and compassion towards the slaves of Allah, which was the complete opposite of the characteristics of the proud and arrogant.

Al-Majmoo’ al-Kaamilah li Mu’allafaat al-Shaykh al-Sa’di, 5/442, 443

There are many means of attaining humility, which no Muslim adopts but he will attain this characteristic. They were explained by Imam Ibn al-Qayyim as follows:

Humility comes from knowing about Allah and His names and attributes, and His greatness, venerating Him, loving Him and being in awe of Him; and also from knowing about oneself and one’s faults, and weaknesses. From that may develop the attitude of humility, which means feeling helpless before Allah, and being humble and compassionate towards His slaves, so that the person does not feel superior towards anyone, or think that he has any rights over anyone else; rather he thinks that others are better than him, and that their rights come before his. This is a characteristic that Allah gives to those whom He loves, honours and draws close to Him.

Al-Rooh, p. 233.

There are many reports which speak of the reward of humility. For example:

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“Wealth does not decrease because of charity, and Allah increases His slave in honour when he forgives others. And no one humbles himself before Allah but Allah will raise him (in status).”

Narrated by Muslim, 2588. Al-Nawawi included it in a chapter entitled: “The recommendation of forgiveness and humility.”

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “And no one humbles himself before Allaah but Allaah will raise him (in status).” This is understood in two ways: the first is that He will raise him (in status) in this world, and give him status in people’s hearts because of his humility, and give him a high status in people’s eyes. The second is that what is meant is his reward in the Hereafter, where his status will be raised because of his humility in this world.

The scholars said: It may be that both are meant, (and that his status will be raised) both in this world and in the Hereafter. And Allaah knows best.

Sharh Muslim, 16/142.

Humility may mean various things, such as:

1.A person humbling himself to the commands and prohibitions of Allaah, doing what He commands and avoiding what He forbids.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Because a person may hesitate to obey His commands out of laziness, thus behaving in a reluctant way in an attempt to flee from servitude towards Allah, and his soul may have the desire to commit haraam actions, but when the person humbles himself to the commands and prohibitions of Allah, he will humble himself to true submission (‘uboodiyyah).

Al-Rooh p. 233.

2. Humbling oneself before the might, majesty and power of Allah.

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

Every time he feels that he is great, he remembers the might of Allah and that might belongs to Him only, and he remembers His intense anger against those who compete with Him in that, then he humbles himself before Him and submits to the might of Allah. This is the ultimate humility and inevitably includes the first type of humility mentioned above, but the converse can never apply (i.e., this type of humility inevitably leads to the first type, but a person may submit to the commands and prohibitions of Allah but he does not humble himself before His might).

The one who is truly humble is the one who is blessed with both. And Allaah is the One Whose help we seek.

Al-Rooh, p. 233.

3. Humility in one’s dress and manner of walking.

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:

“Whilst a man was letting his garment drag out of pride, he was swallowed up by the earth and will continue sinking in it until the Day of Resurrection.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 3297.

It was also narrated by al-Bukhaari (5452) and Muslim (2088) from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah. According to the version narrated by al-Bukhaari:

“Whilst a man was walking in a garment admiring himself with his hair nicely combed, Allah caused (the earth) to swallow him up and he will continue sinking in it until the Day of Resurrection.”

4. Humility towards one who is of a lesser status and helping him

It was narrated that al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was moving soil with us on the day of al-Ahzaab, and I saw him with dust covering the whiteness of his stomach, and he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)) was saying, “(O Allah)! Without You, we would not have been guided, nor would we have given in charity, nor would we have prayed. So (O Allah!) send tranquility (Sakeenah) upon us as they (the chiefs of the enemy tribes) have rebelled against us. And if they intend affliction (i.e. want to frighten us and fight against us) then we would not (flee but would withstand them).” And he raised his voice whilst saying it.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 6809; Muslim, 1803.

5. Humility in interactions with one’s wife and helping her.

It was narrated that al-Aswad said: I asked ‘Aa’ishah what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to do in his house, and she said:

He used to serve his family and when the time for prayer came he would go out and pray.

This shows that we are encouraged to be humble and not arrogant, and that a man should serve his family.

Fath al-Baari, 2/163

6. Humility towards the young and joking with them.

It was narrated that Anas said:

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was the best of people in character. I had a brother whose name was Abu ‘Umayr. He said, I think he was weaned, and when he (the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)) came he would say, “O Abu Umayr, what happened to the nughayr (a small bird that he kept as a pet)?”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 5850; Muslim, 2150.

Al-Nawawi said:

The nughayr is a small bird.

This hadeeth teaches us many things, such as being kind to small children. This demonstrates the good character of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and how he was of noble character and humble.

Sharh Muslim, 14/129

7. Humility towards servants and slaves

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:

“If the servant of one of you brings his food and he does not want to make him sit and eat with him, then let him offer him a morsel or two, because he has prepared it and served it.”

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 2418 and 5144; Muslim, 1663.

We ask Allaah to make us among those who humble themselves before His might.

Some homes are not free of the presence of relatives of the husband who are not his wife’s Mahrams (unmarriageable male guardians). They may be living in his home with him due to particular circumstances, such as being students or single. These relatives enter the home without anyone raising an eyebrow, because they are known in the neighborhood as being relatives – brothers, nephews or uncles – of the head of the household. This relaxed attitude could generate a lot of evil which will earn the wrath of Allaah The Almighty if it is not controlled and brought within the limits set by Him.

The basic principle in this matter is the Hadeeth (narration) of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

“Beware of entering upon women.” A man from among the Ansaar (Helpers) said: “O Messenger of Allaah, what do you think about the brother-in-law?” He, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: “The brother-in-law is death!”

“What is being referred to in this Hadeeth is the husband’s relatives, apart from his father and sons. These [his father and sons] are Mahrams for his wife and can be alone with her, therefore they are not described as ‘death’.

What is referred to here is his [the husband’s] brother, nephew, uncle and cousin, and others whom his wife would be permitted to marry if she were not already married.

Usually people take the matter lightly with regard to these relatives, so a man may be alone with his brother’s wife. Thus he is likened to death, indicating that he should be prevented from being alone with her even more than a stranger should.”

(Fath al-Bari, 9/331)

The phrase ‘the brother-in-law is death’ has a number of meanings, including:

The woman’s being alone with her brother-in-law may lead to spiritual destruction if she commits sin

It may lead to death if she commits the immoral act (fornication or adultery) and the punishment of stoning is carried out on her

It may lead to the woman being destroyed if her husband leaves her because his jealousy leads him to divorce her

It may mean, beware of being alone with a non-Mahram woman just as you would beware of death

It may mean that being alone with a non-Mahram woman is as bad as death. It was also said that it means, let the brother-in-law die rather than be alone with a non-Mahram woman

All this stems from the concern of Islam to preserve families and households, and to prevent the tools of destruction from reaching them in the first place. Having learned what the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, what do you think now of those husbands who tell their wives: “If my brother comes and I am not here, let him into the sitting room”, or a wife who tells a guest: “Go into the sitting room”, when there is no one else present in the house?

To those who raise the issue of trust as an excuse, saying: “I trust my wife, and I trust my brother, or my cousin”, we say, your trust is all well and good, and you should not be suspicious when you have no cause to be, but you should know that the Hadeeth of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

“No man is alone with a non-Mahram woman, but the Shaytaan (Satan, the devil) is the third one present with them.”

(Reported by at-Tirmithi, 1171)

includes the most pious of people as well as the most corrupt. Islam does not exempt anyone from such rulings.

“As for the men’s rows, then it is according to the generality; so the best of them is always the first of them, and the worst of them is always the last of them.

As for the rows of the women, then the objective of the Hadith is that of the rows that the women pray in with the men, as for when they pray separately, not with the men, then just like in the case of the men, the best of their rows are the first of them, and the worst of them are the last of them. And the meaning of the worst of the rows in the case of the women and the men, is the least of them in reward and virtue.

And the last of the rows of the women when attending with the men, are only more virtuous, because of their distancing themselves from mixing with the men and their sight, and the heart being attached to them when seeing their movements and hearing their speech, and similar to that, and the first of their rows has been censured because of the opposite of that.

And Allah knows best….”

[As mentioned on page 502 of Sunan Abu Dawud, vol.1 published by Darussalam]

Benefit notes by Admin:

1] When in gatherings, men should always occupy the front seat while women should be behind them, and not the vice versa which we see nowadays.

2] As mentioned by Imam an-Nawawi that the reason for the women’s best row being the last one is

because of their distancing themselves from mixing with the men and their sight, and the heart being attached to them when seeing their movements and hearing their speech, and similar to that, and the first of their rows has been censured because of the opposite of that.

This situation is during the prayer in the house of Allah when a slave tries to be the most obedient to His Lord [where a man or women cannot think of doing sin except who comes for that purpose]. Yet, the women are commanded to remain farthest from men, so how about in today’s time when we see women walking rubbing their shoulders with strangers at markets and other places?

The teacher must not make his intentions [to teach] for the purpose of attaining some worldly objective, such as wealth, leadership, influence, rising above his peers, gaining people’s praise, or drawing their attention to himself. One does not dishonor his teaching of [the Quran ] by hoping to obtain some favor-by way of an [influential] student who recites to him-whether the favor is in the form of property or some service, however small, or even a gift that he would not have received had it not been for [his] student reciting to him.

Allah, Most High says,

Whoever seeks the harvest of the Hereafter, We shall increase his harvest; and whoever seeks the harvest of this world, We shall give him of it here, but in the Hereafter he will have no portion

(Quran, 42:20);

Whoever desires the immediate [gains of this world], We hasten what We will to whomever We will

“Whoever learns knowledge by which one [customarily] seeks the pleasure of Allah Most High but learns it in order to obtain one of this world’s riches, he will not find the scent of Paradise on the Day of Judgment.”

It is related that Abu Hurayra [radiAllahu anhu] said that the Messenger of Allah [Sallallahu alaihi wasallam] said,

“If anyone relieves his brother of one of the afflictions of this world, Allah will relieve him of one of the afflictions of the Day of Rising.

Allah will give ease in this world and the Next to anyone who eases the hardship of another.

Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim in this world and the Next.

Allah will help His slave as long as His slave is helping his brother.

If anyone travels a path by which he seeks knowledge, Allah will make the way to the Garden easy for him.

People do not meet in the mosque to recite the Book of Allah and study it together without tranquillity descending on them, mercy covering them, and the angels encircling them.

If someone is slow in acting by it, his ascription to it is not hastened. “

[Muslim 36/2699 and at- Tirrnidhi 2945]

AI-Mubarakpuri said in Tuhfat’l-Awadhi,

“If anyone relieves his brother of one of the afflictions of this world,’ means removes it from him and relieves him of it’. “

At-Tayyibi said,

“It is as if he had opened someone’s trachea enabling them to breathe. It is similar to the saying, ‘You are in breath.’ It is as if their calamity was like something blocking the trachea. When they are relieved of it they can breathe again. What is meant by ‘brother’ is brother in faith.”

According to a variant reading of the hadith found in Muslim,

“If anyone relieves a believer of one of the afflictions of the Day of Rising, Allah will relieve him.” Since all creatures are the dependants of Allah and relieving affliction is doing good, Allah repays the person who does that with an ample repayment; as Allah says, “Shall the recompense for doing good be other than consummate good?” (55:60)

The words “Anyone who veils a Muslim” refers to veiling the ugly actions which he does. One should not disgrace him or clothe him in a garment which Allah has concealed – in other words, reveal his faults or nakedness.

An-Nawawi said in his commentary on the words of the Prophet [sallallau alaihi wasallam],

“On the Day of Rising, Allah will veil anyone who veils another Muslim”:

The veiling being recommended here is covering the faults and flaws of those who are not known for causing harm and corruption. In the case of one of those who are known for that, it is recommended not to veil them but that one present their case to those in authority, provided that one does not fear harm from doing it. That is because covering up for this sort of person encourages him to continue his harm, corruption, violation of sacred things, and inciting others to do similar actions. In any case the veiling referred to applies to acts of disobedience which occurred in the past and have now ended.

If someone sees another actually involved in doing an act of disobedience, then he must hasten to object to it and forbid it to the best of his ability. It is not lawful to put off doing that. If he is unable to do it, he should report it to the authorities, provided that will not result in further corruption.
The words “anyone who eases the hardship of another” refer to making things easy for someone who is poor, including both believers and unbelievers. In other words, if anyone is owed something by someone poor and one makes it easy for him by deferring it or forgoing some or all of it, “Allah will give him ease” in exchange for his making things easy for His slave, thus giving one repayment in kind.

In Fayd al-Qadir, the commentary on al-Jami’ as-Saghir, al-Munawi said:

The words “Anyone who veils another Muslim in this world” refer to veiling his ugly actions, and the words “does not disgrace him” mean by making known something which might cause him shame in respect of his deen, honour, property, or family. So you should not disgrace or expose him by talking about such things. The words “Allah will veil him on the Day of Rising” mean that He will not disgrace him in front of people by displaying his faults and wrong actions. On the contrary, Allah will make his reckoning easy and not punish him, since because He is Living and Generous. Veiling faults is one facet of modesty and generosity.

‘Uthman summoned some suspect people and then sent a party out to arrest them, but they split up and he did not manage to capture them. He freed a slave out of thankfulness to Allah Almighty that the abasement of no Muslim should occur at his hands.

The Hell said: “The haughty and proud are my inmates.” Jannah said: “The modest and the humble are my residents”. Thereupon, Allah the Exalted and Glorious (addressing Jannah) said:
“You are My Mercy, through you I shall show mercy to those whom I wish”. (And addressing the Hell), He said: “You are (the means) of My punishment by which I shall punish such of My slaves as I wish and each one of you would have its fill”.

[Muslim].

Commentary:

1] In this Hadith people who are termed as `modest’ and `humble’ are the rich in Faith and piety. They lead a life of patience and contentment. This Hadith gives glad tidings to such noble people. On the contrary, it has a threat of Hell for those who disobey Divine injunctions and are haughty and proud. Now, it is entirely one’s own choice which way he goes.

2] The dialogue between Jannah and Hell quoted in this Hadith is not something impossible. It is not at all difficult for Allah to create in them such intelligence and consciousness which can enable them to make a discussion on the subjects mentioned in the Hadith. Thus, there is no need to offer any justification for the veracity of such Ahadith.

These should, therefore, be taken as literally correct. This Hadith is mentioned in detail in Musnad Ahmad and is narrated by Abu Hurairah (RadiAllahu anhu) at greater length than in the narration of Abu Sa`id Al- Khudri (radiAllahu anhu) quoted in Kitab-ut-Tafsir (the Book of Commentary) of Sahih Al-Bukhari.

[End quote from Riyad us Saaliheen]

I (Dr Iftakhar Ahmed) say, that this hadith is also a refutation of Ashari/Jahmi belief who departed from the path of Salaf as Saalih. When we Salafis say that Allah speaks as it befits His Majesty but we do not know “how”, these Ashari and Jahmi comes up with arguments that “Speech is done only with tongue and lips” and therefore your (salafis) saying that Allah speaks necessitates that Allah too has tongue and lips (Astagfirullah).

We ask them regarding this hadith where Hell and Heaven dispute with each other by speaking to each other. Do you think it is done by tongue and lips? No. Its the power of Allah who can make speak anything just like our limbs will speak on the day of Judgement. And this is what Imam Nawawi (rahimahullah) said in his commentary.

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Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said:

"If a man comes out of his house carrying a burden of sins like the mountains of Tihamah, then when he hears some knowledge he fears Allah and repents, he will go back home with no sins on him.
So do not forsake the gatherings of the scholars."
[Miftah Dar as-Sa’adah, 1/122; Fara’id al-Kalam, p. 135.]

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